


Enchanted

by redhoodiehearts (Heroichemmo)



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: (i think), Bowery Beauty!Sarah, F/F, Katherine: I'm too gay for your crap Jack Kelly, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 11:31:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18850201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heroichemmo/pseuds/redhoodiehearts
Summary: Katherine is tired of all these newsboys trying to impress her. That is, until she meets a girl in the street with a secret comparable to her own. (Teen to be safe because I never know with ratings and better to be safe than sorry.)





	Enchanted

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive if this seems rushed or off in any way, I wrote the first 1500 words like a year ago and then the last 500 at 2pm on a Thursday while being fueled with a need for Content(tm).

You’d think that after eighteen years in the city and it’s early morning hustle and bustle, Katherine would know to pay attention to her surroundings. But she and Darcy were already late for the paper children (her coined nickname for the three of them) weekly morning breakfast at Bill’s house, all because she thought she had a scoop on something that turned out to be completely and utterly wrong. Already it’d been a long day, and it was barely 7 in the morning; they’d just stopped by her father’s office at the World long enough to let him know she had a new job assignment the next night before they were on their way again, past the circulation gates crowded with newsies ready to start their days.

There was something about the Newsboys that always made Katherine... curious. They were all very dedicated to the job, and she admired it -- they would sell, rain or shine, and keep selling until they'd sold all of their papers. What she didn't admire, though, were the cat calls and idiotic pick ups they'd try and get her with. That was part of the reason she brought Darcy along, in hopes they'd leave her alone and he'd keep her from overstepping, but...

"I've got a headline for you: cheeky boy gets nothing for his troubles."

The whole bunch of them started up again as Darcy stepped to her, smug grin in place as they walked off. "You know, I don't get why you bring me along. They're going to say something to you either way, and you always have a witty line to give back to them."

"It's the morality of it all," she simply replied with an unbelieving tone, waving a hand in front of her. "A gentleman would never call out to a lady with a suitor, and you'd think their parents would teach them that."

"Katherine, most of them don't have parents."

"Well, whoever's in charge of them should teach them manners then."

They just continued walking, arm in arm as they headed for the Hearst's place, not a care in the world until they brushed past a group of three -- a girl and who looked like her two younger brothers -- rushing towards the circulation gates. It brought Katherine to a stop, Darcy tugging on her arm for a moment before he looked at her, confused. Her eyes moved from the figures walking away to the black, hardcover book on the ground in front of her. "Hold on, Darcy." She spoke, kneeling down carefully as to not have her skirt expose anything, and grabbed the book.

"Miss!"

Thankfully, the girl -- and her brothers -- turned at the sound of Katherine's voice, and she walked forward as quick as she could in her small heels. "I think you dropped this!"

The other girl's eyes went wide as she opened her bag, then started rushing towards. "Oh, thank you so much, it must've fallen out of my bag." She smiled while Katherine held the book out. Their fingers brushed for just a brief second, and she could barely fight the grin that formed on her face.

"Of course! It's a good book, I read it a few weeks or so ago." She replied, hands interlocking in front of her. "It'd be a shame to miss out on it."

"I'm glad to hear it comes recommended." The stranger nodded with a smile, pushing the book into her bag.

Katherine laughed lightly. "Highly."

Before either of them could speak again, three distinct voices, two calling 'Sarah' and the third for Katherine, carried through the air, causing them both to look over each other's shoulders.

A small laugh fell from her -- Sarah's lips, explaining that she was taking her brothers to their first day as news boys.

And Katherine was captivated.

"Well, you'd all better get a move on then. I know those boys tend to buy out the circulation desk pretty early on."

"Yes, you're right. Thank you again." Sarah smiled, turning to walk away. "Have a good day, Katherine!"

"You as well, Sarah."

And, being her closest friend she had, Darcy of course had to make fun of the stupid grin on her face for the rest of the morning. And recount the whole encounter to Bill, who simply laughed and made a point of teasing Katherine just as much.

A full thirteen hours later, Sarah was still in Katherine's mind. Something about the girl just stuck with her, the fact that she made a point of making sure her brothers made it to work or that she had been so thankful about getting her book back or... Maybe it had to do with the fact that even in a plain brown dress and grey shawl and her hair pulled back in a simple way, she was beautiful. And sure, that wasn't what a girl should be thinking, but she'd done research; history showed that there were plenty of girls who liked other girls -- especially writers. Maybe it was a trick of the trade. Either way, she had the girl on her mind almost non-stop for the last day, even as she walked into the Bowery -- the place that cleared her mind most.

It wasn't a place Katherine frequented, mainly because her father saw it as 'improper' for a girl her age to go, but the whole atmosphere was... incredible to her. The owner was always so nice, the girls were always dedicated to their performance (and not to mention, gorgeous) and sweet whenever she came in to review their new show, always blowing her away with their talent.

"Oh, Katherine, darling! You're finally here, toss me my brush, would you?"

And she always felt so welcomed around here. "Sorry I'm late, Miss Medda, my father --"

"Now now, no 'father' talk in here! You're working, aren't you? Pulitzer doesn't matter around here, just you and your talented work." Medda spoke, looking at her from the mirror and smiling. Katherine handed her the brush, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

"As you wish... Any news I should know before I go for interviews?" She asked as she leaned on the back of Medda's chair. She wasn't here often, but when she was, it made everything better in Katherine's eyes. Medda was very motherly, treating Katherine the same way she did her girls, as if they were all her kids.

"We've got a new girl, Marie. Big sweetheart, working to help support her family since they're a bit down on their luck. Got two brothers that work for your pops, I think." Medda gave her a look -- one that read 'you have to talk to her'. "Can't promise she'll give you anything worth publishing, but she's a great dancer. You should introduce yourself."

Of course, Katherine knew 'Marie' wasn't her real name. All the girls had code names to keep the creeps from coming around and trying to backstage; using their real names was a sign of trust, someone that they wanted there. Her eyes rolled, a light blush coming to her cheeks as she used her fingers to brush her bangs straight in the mirror. "I'll have to seek her out then. See you after the show?"

"Of course, dear. Now, get a move on, you only get so much time before you need to be in your box."

Katherine simply laughed, patting Medda's shoulder as she turned to the door. "I'm going, I'm going. Have a good show, ma'am." 

It didn't matter how many time Katherine had wandered through the theater, for an article or for an escape, it always awed her. It didn't look too big from the outside, but inside it felt almost like a whole other world: stairs and stairs leading to different rooms all winding upward. She'd only been up to the top a few times, but it was magical to see from the height above the city. 

After a few flights of stairs she arrived at the familiar door, knocking twice as she readjusted her small bag. She'd been fully prepared to greet a familiar face, or at least the new dancer, with a smile and polite greeting. But when the door opened to reveal the girl she'd met and effectively been thinking about for the last thirteen hours... Katherine Pulitzer was lost for words. And apparently Sarah was too, since she just stood there looking at Katherine for a few seconds before she spoke.

"... Sarah?" 

All at once, the room fell silent as Katherine and Sarah stared at each other, and all of the girls looked at Katherine. 

"No, silly, that's Marie." One of the girls smiled, looping an arm around 'Marie's waist as she not-so-subtlety glared daggers into Katherine. She took the message and smiled softly, holding a hand out to her. 

"Katherine Plumber. Writer for the New York Sun." She introduced herself easily, professionally, as if she didn't know the other. Sarah smiled, and for a moment Katherine felt her knees go weak. "Would you care to do an interview? Completely anonymous." 

Sarah looked at the other girl, who gave her a small nod with a soft smile. "Sure." She replied, stepping forward. "There's a place around back, we can talk there?"

Katherine nodded, setting her bag down and retrieving her pencil and notebook before following her. She had already made up her mind to not ask about why she was there or if her brothers knew; it wasn't her place. She'd just met this girl, after all, and even though she was the prettiest person Katherine had ever laid eyes on, she knew there were certain lines not meant to be crossed. Sarah easily weaved her way through the theater, pausing when they'd made it to a little closet on the opposite of the stage, and turned to look at her with a slightly panicked look. 

"You can't tell anyone you know me. Or that I'm working here. Especially my brothers, David would throw a frolic. And Mamma--"

Katherine smiled gently, placing her hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't tell a soul, I promise." 

A look of relief washed over Sarah's face, sighing audibly. "Thank you. I don't know how I'd be able to explain it."

"Your secret is safe with me." She didn't know why, but she leaned into Sarah with a grin. "And just so we're even, I'll tell you my secret. So you can expose me if I do."

Sarah looked intrigued at that and grinned, leaning toward Katherine. "Oh, do tell."

She paused, having to compose herself as she realized how close they were; practically chest to chest, in the back of a theater, and something in her said she could trust Sarah. So she did, speaking in a soft voice. "My father is Joseph Pulitzer."

Sarah's eyes widened, blinking a few times. "Oh... Why are you here of all places then? Wouldn't that look bad?"

"Well..." She shrugged, looking away as she blushed a little. "I've never been able to resist pretty girls. Especially nice ones."

Katherine swore she heard Sarah laugh a little and looked back up, astonished that she wasn't running off to tell a police officer. Even more surprising was when Sarah leaned in and pressed a kiss to Katherine's cheek. "And I've never been able to resist smart girls, so we're both in trouble." 

They stood there in silence for a moment, Katherine unsure of what to say for the first time in her life and Sarah just smiling, until the manager started calling for them to take places. They both looked in the direction and took an immediate step back from each other before laughing in sync. 

"Enjoy the show, Katherine."

And even though there was that annoying newsboy trying to steal her attention once again, Katherine did enjoy; she couldn't even keep her eyes off the bowery beauty on stage that had so easily enchanted her.


End file.
